


A Walk in the Park

by foreverinprinxietyhell



Category: Impractical Jokers
Genre: Adoption, Affection, Being Supportive, Family Breakfast, M/M, Married Life, Proud Parents, Surprises, baseball tryouts, financial troubles, first game of the season, going out for ice cream, house husband!Sal, light banter, light teasing, office worker!Brian, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-01 13:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11487336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreverinprinxietyhell/pseuds/foreverinprinxietyhell
Summary: While Impractical Jokers is on hiatus, Q works an office job to support his family while Sal stays at home with their daughter Macy. Based on Q's punishment at the ballpark in the episode 'Heckle and Hide', their little girl has her first game coming up, but he won't be able to come watch. Or will he?





	A Walk in the Park

Married life had been a better experience for two skeptics every step of the way, yet not even that feeling could compare with their start to fatherhood. Brian had been reluctant at first because he knew that if any of the three cats in their household harmed they would all have to go, but after a few months of constant convincing it was not long before he agreed to adopt a child with his husband. Nerves had wracked them both during the whole process since there had been horror stories of other gay couples having to jump through almost impossible hoops before they could begin to even hope for this opportunity, yet within five months their family grew in size by one.   
The first few weeks had been scarier than imagined even though the two had read every material available on parenting, but even now with a few years under their belts they still struggled with making the right decisions on even trivial things such as deciding if she should join a junior sports team when she came home excitedly after school one day and asked for permission.

“I’m fine with her going if you are, babe.” Brian spoke up, waiting for their daughter to tell her good news before making his presence known with a long, sweet kiss. If there was one parenting technique the couple agreed on it was showing constant love and affection toward each other, “I can take her to practice, but I don’t know how many games I’ll be able to attend since they’re during work hours.” 

“I know you’re trying to make a living with an extra job, but can’t you at least make it to Macy’s first game?” 

“Please daddy?” 

 

“I’ll do my best, okay sweetheart? I really want to be there to support you, but it depends on my boss.” 

“Okay. Can I go play with the kitties now?” 

“Do you have any homework?” 

“No sir.” 

“Sure, honey. I think Benjamin missed you the most, he’s been meowing ever since you left this morning.”

Giggling, the seven year old girl ran off to look for her oldest non-human sibling while the couple snuggled on the couch as if it had been more than an hour since they had been together romantically. Lightly sighing, Sal rested his cheek on the other’s shoulder as he got lost in thought before coming upon a gut wrenching realization.

“Bri, how are we going to afford new equipment for her? They’re expensive as hell even without a tight budget.” 

“Luckily for us, we have someone willing to help out.” 

“We already owe Joe so much already, I’d hate to bother him again.” 

“Not Gatto, but his wife,” the older one corrected before getting slightly distracted when he noticed one of his pets decided to join them and ruffling her fur, “She played as a kid, remember?” 

“What if Milana wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps?” 

“Sally, she’s half Joey. She’ll most likely end up on the math team like he did in high school,” Q joked, picking up the black and white feline in his arms to hold her against his chest, “Isn’t that right, Brooklyn?” 

“Ugh, put her down!” 

“We’ve been married for four years and it’s never been a secret how much these little fellas mean to me. Besides, I thought you liked her best?” 

“That’s where you’re mistaken, sir.”

“Says the guy I caught feeding her tuna the other day.”   
Sal blushed, but remained silent as an elbow nudged gently into his ribcage before the cat began purring loudly while rubbing her cheek against the side of his hand, “Fine, you got me, but I don’t like admitting it…”

“There’s no shame in loving a sweet little putty tat.” 

“You’re such a dork.”

“I’m your dork, forever.”

Rolling his emerald eyes at seeing a flash of gold to emphasize his loving banter, Salvatore decided to display his love by scratching the female under the chin after a moment of hesitation; he had come a long way in facing his fear, but there were some days where he reverted back to those anxious mannerisms and thankfully his partner’s patience never seemed to waver when those moments happened. Gently gathering the splotchy fur into his arms after a few moments of small strokes, Sal cradled her while the other one excused himself to go check on their daughter since it was not unlike either of them to worry when there was too much silence in the house, sighing softly as he realized how far he had grown in the few years since he confessed the love that had built up since high school and quickly got teary eyed. 

“Papa?” he heard the smaller voice and tried to blink away the moisture in vain, “Why are you sad?” 

“I’m not, baby girl, they’re happy. Just thinking about how much I love our family.” 

“That’s your father for you, he’s a sensitive guy with too much pride.”

“Don’t you dare!”

“It’s not my fault that those lyrics fit you perfectly.” 

“Daddy, can we eat now? I’m hungry.” 

“Sure, princess. Want us to wait for you to wash up, Sally?” 

“You can go ahead, I won’t be long. Don’t let your dad eat too much while I’m gone alright, Mace?”

“Yes sir!”

Being a step parent to three cats had been rewarding in its own right once he had learned how to let his guard down around them in his own time, but having a child with his last name was far better in Salvatore’s eyes, even if it sometimes proved to be harder than any challenge or punishment his best friends created just for him.    
A week later, Sal was up earlier than usual in order to start cooking so they could have one more normal family breakfast together before the other became busy with his second job. Brow furrowed in concentration, the younger man was too busy pouring batter into a frying pan to notice that a pair of arms were wrapped around his middle when he startled at feeling lips press against the shell of his ear, “Damn it, Bri, you almost burned me!” 

“Sorry babe, just thought I’d surprise you in turn.” 

“Near a hot stove?”

“Oh come on, you’re hotter than it is.” he purred, dark brown eyes watching a skilled wrist start to flip the medium-sized ovals that started to form, “Oh, the things you can do with those hands.” 

“Talking dirty already? I’m guessing someone woke up with morning wood…” 

“Don’t worry, I already took care of it, but I wouldn’t be opposed to a second opinion.” 

“Later, baby,” Sal compromised before turning toward his husband who was still dressed in the wife beater and grey sweat pants that he usually fell asleep in, bringing up a hand to stroke at the slightly faded ’38. Lives alone. Has 3 cats’ tattoo on his right forearm, chuckling softly, “I’m surprised you still have that thing.”

“Why? I still have three cats.”

“You know what I mean, you’re forty four and have a loving husband who puts up with you practically for a living.”

“Don’t forget our daughter.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

Pouring all the love he could into kissing his spouse for that response, Q reluctantly pulled away when he felt a small body rub against his calf before a loud meow came out in demand for food. Chuckling, he knelt down to give a few affectionate strokes to the beige and white boy’s back, “Sorry buddy, but you’ve got to wait like the rest of us. It wouldn’t be fair to eat before your sisters wake up.” 

“But dad…” the other spoke for Chessie, getting an eye roll in fake annoyance that got him to laugh.

“No buts, mister, we’re gentlemen in this household.” 

“Says the guy who showed up to breakfast in his pajamas.”

“Excuse me for being concerned for your whereabouts when I woke up to an empty bed.”

“You mean after you jerked off? Go shower before Macy wakes up.” 

“I was planning on it, bossy.” Brian teased, giving a firm pat to an unprotected ass when his husband turned his attention back to the oven before walking upstairs to their shared bedroom.

The faint patter of droplets hitting against linoleum tiles soothed Sal as he finished plating the stack of pancakes before filling another skillet to start frying strips of bacon despite the smell attracting the two hungry felines. Ignoring them in favor of humming quietly while waiting for the meat to curl crisply since he was used to the silence due to his role as a house spouse. As he began to place the cooked meat onto a paper towel covered platter, the sound of feet echoed in the hallway as both humans came into the kitchen, Brooklyn curled up in her sister’s arms. 

“Good morning, sunshine.” he greeted, pecking his daughter’s cheek gently before placing a full plate in front of her, “Did you sleep well?” 

“Uh huh! I always do when Brook sleeps with me.” 

“Your daddy has a knack for seeing the best qualities in everyone including his kitties.”

“Feeding my ego and stomach at the same time, eh Sally?” Q asked, taking a seat across from him and Macy in his usual spot, “You like what you see?”

Blushing deeply, the younger one could not take his eyes off of the well-dressed man, taking in a charcoal three piece suit accompanied by a dark purple tie before noticing how usually uncontrollable hair was combed and gelled into place and a shaggy beard was neatly trimmed, “You look just as stunning as you did on our wedding day.” 

“I’m going to take that as a yes.”

“Papa, can I have some more juice?” Macy spoke up, her parents smiling softly at her innocently interrupting them.

“Of course, sweetie. Slow down though, we don’t want you to get a tummy ache before your big game.” Sal warned, leaving his untouched meal to refill her empty cup.

“Careful, or she may eat yours too,” the older man warned, getting a giggle from their little girl in response, “After feeding the cats you better eat too.” 

Upon completing the chore, he settled back into place among his family and handed off the replenished glass of orange juice before he felt a pair of eyes calculating his every move while he promptly grabbed a fork and knife to start eating breakfast. 

“Much better. Did you start a pot of coffee?” 

“Yeah, it should be done by now, so be careful.” 

Grunting in agreement, Brian went to pour himself a mug after rinsing off the used plate, ducking into the fridge to retrieve a bottle of hazelnut creamer. Lid uncapped, he smiled to himself as the two liquids combined before getting mixed together, his wedding band bouncing against the ceramic cup merrily while walking back after cleaning up the small mess. 

“No sugar?”

“Like my husband, I think its sweet enough.” He winked, sipping at the warm drink, a smile forming as one of the pets climbed into his lap and batted at his necktie playfully

“Do I need to get the lint roller, or do you want to wear Benjamin to work?” 

“He’s fine, aren’t ya buddy? Yes, you are!” he baby talked to the elder cat, scratching under his chin affectionately. 

“Daddy, can I have a taste of your drink?” their daughter chimed in, not wanting her presence to be forgotten since she was usually the quiet type.

“I’d say yes, but I don’t think Papa would want that without supervision.

“Why not?”

“It makes you really hyper the first time.”

“Then why do you drink it?”

“Partly because your Uncle Murr convinced me to when we were kids and it helps keep me awake.” 

“Like Papa’s snoring?”

“Exactly.”

“I do not snore!” Sal defended, falsetto in his voice as he did so while the other two giggled at the sudden reaction, pouting as he finally finished the last strip of bacon.

“Aww, don’t be that way, I still love sharing a bed with you,” Q comforted, biting his bottom lip when he realized how that sounded out loud, “You’re the best danged cuddler I’ve ever met.” 

“Nice save, Bri.” 

“That’s another one of my specialties.”

“How did I get so lucky?” 

“Shouldn’t I be saying that since you’re the one who popped the question?” 

“Touché,” Sal relented as he leaned in to give a final kiss to the other before their daughter got up to hug him goodbye, “You owe me back for the ring.”

“Sure I do, ‘cuz giving you a family isn’t enough.” he teased good-naturedly as he placed a smooch atop Macy’s head as he squeezed her back.

“I love you, daddy.” 

“Aww kiddo, I love you too. You’re gonna be good for papa while I’m gone, right?” 

“Uh huh!” 

“That’s my girl.”

“Love you, Bri.” 

“And I love you, Sally.”  

A warm breeze kicked up a few hours later as Sal sat uncomfortably in the bleachers with his other best friends who showed up with hardly any warning except for dual texts that were received seven minutes before they took seats to his left side; even though there was no guarantee that his husband would show up, he still wanted to save him a spot.

“Uncle Joe! Uncle Murr!” the little girl squealed excitedly as she ran over to hug them both, “You made it!” 

“Of course, honey, we wouldn’t miss it,” Joseph stated, smiling fondly at his adopted niece, “Aunt Bessy couldn’t come though, she had plans that she couldn’t rearrange.” 

“That’s okay, daddy couldn’t either.” 

“Hey now, the game’s barely started, so you never know for sure.” 

Pouting doubtfully, Macy just nodded silently before running off when one of the coaches called for the kids to line up to bat. When she was out of earshot, her father scratched at his bearded cheek while sighing softly, looking over at the other two, “She’s going to be so disappointed if he doesn’t show up.”

“I’m sure Q will find a way to get here soon,” Murr comforted his best friend with mild concern while watching the other desperately try to call his husband even when he was sent to voicemail each time, “I hate seeing you like this, bud.”

“I can’t help it that I want my daughter to be happy.”

“He may be in a meeting, you know how quickly his schedule fills up.”

“Why do you know that about my husband?”

“You seem to forget that we’re also best friends with him. Just because the show is on hiatus doesn’t mean we don’t keep in touch.”

“Sorry, I got a bit defensive… This whole being in debt thing is just so stressful.”

“Nothing to apologize for, but at least your marriage isn’t falling apart. The two of you are closer than ever since you two became parents.” 

Sal agreed as his attention was turned to junior team and looked for his daughter, blocking out everything else to make sure that not a second was missed just in case he had to describe every detail to his spouse when he arrived home from the office. The three of them were busy cheering for the little blonde girl as loudly as possible for a few plays when there came a random tap to his shoulder, yet he refused to acknowledge the stranger.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

“Yes, it’s for my husband,” the younger man answered in a bit of annoyance, but tried to keep it under control until he felt someone sit down next to him, a touch of anger adding to the intensity of the situation when his head whipped to the right, “What’s the idea, wise guy?!”

“Jeez, I just wanted to get a closer look at my kid playing some ball.” 

Eyes widening, Sal did not hear the chorus of laughter from the other two as he flung himself into a strong pair of arms that without a doubt would prevent him from falling. Nuzzling his face into the crook of the other’s neck, Sal started to tear up against a black shirt that replaced the dapper top half from earlier, barely able to speak as he made sure that this was not a dream, “Bri…”

“In the flesh,” the man in question chuckled, kissing a slightly furrowed brow smooth as he stroked the stands of hair hidden under the bill of a backwards baseball cap, “There was a cancelation, so I got here as quickly as I could.”

“You idiot! Did you really think that we knew more about Q’s work load than you?” Murr piped up between laughs, yelping lightly when an elbow jabbed a little too hard into his side.

“Can it, ferret.” 

“It was all in good fun, Joey.” 

“You have a knack for ruining moments, ya know?”

“Fellas, do we need to step in and give you couple’s counseling? We’re trying to watch some little league, here,” the newcomer tried to corral the pair before sneaking in a quick peck to his spouse’s lips, parting only when he heard that their daughter was about to come out to bat again, “Alright, this is my girl!”

“ _Our_ girl.” 

“Do you think she’ll see me while running for the base?”

“Without a doubt, love.”

Grinning wide, his doubts were put to rest when Macy got onto the plate and turned to scan the crows for her father, her face lighting up immediately when both parents were pressed together on the bench. The four men tried to compete on who could cheer the loudest, but ultimately that honor went to Brian as he yelled out all the support he could muster, “Your heart’s in the game, Mace, I can tell from here!”

“You know, I didn’t think it was possible to love you anymore than I already did, but damn are you proving me wrong.” 

“I just want to be her biggest fan, is that so bad?”

“Not at all, Bri, but you already are. She was so upset about you not being able to come, you just made her day.” 

“Really?” 

“Are you kidding?” Joe asked in exasperation, which made the others snort out of humor, “She wasn’t as excited to see her godfathers here.” 

“Of course not, he’s the life of the party.”

Once the game came to an end, Q was once again blind-sided by a body pressing into his own, unable to stop grinning as he welcomed the little girl into his lap in an act of déjà vu from this morning.

“Daddy, you got to see me play!”

“I did! Was that the best surprise of your life or what?” he questioned, kissing her cheek lovingly, “How about we celebrate on the way home, huh? Let’s go get you some sugar, baby.”

Agreeing to the pit stop, the family gave their departing words to the other two before climbing into the notorious fire engine red Jeep without a second thought despite having to leave the other’s vehicle behind. The family stopped at a creamery, the colder than average room temperature welcoming after sitting out in the sun for two and a half hours, to only order for their daughter since they wanted to make the treat just as special as her dad being able to show up unannounced even though a few chocolate drops stained her number thirteen jersey.

“Careful, pumpkin, or you’ll make an even bigger mess.” Sal warned cautiously, his inner clean freak close to breaking through the surface as he dapped a napkin to her chin. 

“Daddy, do the kitties like ice cream?”

“Sometimes. It can hurt their bellies, so they prefer yogurt instead. Were you wanting to bring some back to them?”

“Yes, but not if it makes them sick.”

“Good idea,” he encouraged, accepting the offered waffle cone since he usually ate that part whenever he ordered as they returned to the car and continued on their way home, 

“How about we let Chessie sleep in your room tonight, huh? I think he may be jealous.” 

“Okay! Papa, can you read me a story?” 

“Sure can, honey. Just let me grab-“ 

“I’ve got her duffle bag, Sally, you two go ahead.” 

Eyebrow raised with interest, Sal squeezed the other’s forearm in appreciation of the muscular build he managed to keep even after retiring from the fire department. Blushing softly, he let go reluctantly and ushered Macy into the house to help her gather up the beige feline who laid on his back while being carried upstairs to a yellow walled bedroom with a forest scene painted over the bottom portion. 

Halfway through the storybook that had been selected for that evening, light snoring filled the room mixed with a content purring, his heart swelling with a love that he never thought possible. Leaning over slightly, he pressed a soft kiss onto the seam that sowed golden hair onto the small scalp just as he heard a muffled second set of footsteps pad through the corridor, taking that as his cue to leave the room with the door slightly cracked when he bumped into a firm chest.

“Why, hello there, handsome.” Brian purred as he palmed the other’s ass, pressing him closer while biting a sensitive lip.

“We shouldn’t be doing this outside Macy’s room, don’t want to scar her for life.”

“Of course not, so follow me.” 

Doing as told, Sal went with the older man into bed once the duvet was folded back to reveal a set of satin sheets that had not been there when he had awoken, smirking slightly as his fingers walked along a covered thigh to tease at closed copper teeth, “Little minx, you’ve had this planned all day.” 

“You would be correct, sir. The idea came to me while I was getting dressed.” he confessed, pulling the other on top of him so a hand fell onto the forming erection, “You still owe me a handjob before we can continue, I’m afraid.”

“Oh, don’t worry babe, I’ll treat you right.”

“You always do, Sally. Even when I don’t deserve it.” 

“Well, I’ll be sure to reward you extra tonight. You asked for a second opinion and that’s exactly what I’m going to give you, Bri.” Salvatore remarked in a sultry voice as he finally bridged the gap that had been between them all day. These were the times that he lived for most when they good go from an innocent pair of parents to being intimate in every way that drove the other crazy without a doubt; sure, there were unsuccessful times, yet even when trouble was on the rise their lives together continued to be a walk in the park.


End file.
